UPS Dimensional Weight Pricing

[Tim Bateson]

I see UPS has introduced Dimensional weight pricing for 2015. They say to reduce excessive packing. The truth is UPS expects rates to raise approx 4.9%. :eek:

Shipping is already an issue for most small businessmen. More incentive to work smarter. :rolleyes:

[Bert Kemp]

I cut out a small wood Christmas tree and a base to stand it in, It was one with slots in the center to slide it together , small like 10" tall 3mm thick and a 6 x 4x 1" base. I cut 2 pieces of cardboard and tape in the tree and base and taped the cardboard on top, the whole thing was like 11x6 x1.5 inches toop to PO $9.64 I said are you kidding me he said it weighed 1# 2 oz yep $9.64 i was sick

I see UPS has introduced Dimensional weight pricing for 2015. They say to reduce excessive packing. The truth is UPS expects rates to raise approx 4.9%. :eek:

Shipping is already an issue for most small businessmen. More incentive to work smarter. :rolleyes:

[Scott Shepherd]

I've logged this info before, but we were shipping some signs to customers and UPS wanted something like $40 something dollars for it. I brought it back to the shop because I needed to figure something else out. An employee said "Try FedEx, they are a lot cheaper". I took it to FedEx and it was like $17-18. I signed up for an account, and we've used them for the last 18 months or so and I am thrilled with them and their pricing.

I shipped a 1 lb package 200 miles about 2 weeks ago and it was just over $6.00 and it got there the next day.

It might be worth taking a look at.

[Bert Kemp]

Problem is I'm rural and closest fedx is 20 miles away, and I ship so little not really worth getting an account

[Tim Bateson]

Most of my outgoing stuff is USPS. I am more worried about my supplies. Suppliers like JDS don't give you a choice on shipping.

[Chris Parks]

I have seen some clever people, mostly Ebay sellers who do not use boxes but wrap the parcel in cardboard with no defined edge to measure to. I don't know if they get it any cheaper but some people will try anything to save 10c.

[Mike Null]

Due to the UPS rate increases announced for 2015 and particularly those related to residential shipments I have signed up with stamps.com to print my own postage and will convert a certain category of shipments to USPS for 2015. My largest customer dictates that I use UPS for their shipments and I must use WorldShip as many packages go to Canada. I have to pay UPS for that service but I am able to pass it on.

I used to use FedEx but they are grossly incompetent when it comes to out of the country shipments.

[Scott Shepherd]

I used to use FedEx but they are grossly incompetent when it comes to out of the country shipments.

I can relate (and agree) with that Mike! We mailed a package to another country just before Christmas. Shipping was more than the value of the package, but none the less, it had to be done. The person getting the package was contacted by FedEx in their country, telling them it was an additional shipping fee that needed to be paid. Not the duties, an additional shipping fee. They emailed him 3 times and asked him what was in it and what the value was, despite the fact it's on the label. He contacted me about the extra fees, I call FedEx here, they put a trace agent on it, tell me there's no additional shipping and they don't know what I'm talking about. I get the email from the Fedex person in that country, telling him it's additional SHIPPING fee's. I have the FedEx employee emails telling him it's additional shipping. FedEx in the USA says "that's not true, there is no additional shipping and we see no record of anyone being asked for additional shipping fees". I explain repeatedly that I have the email proof, directly from FedEx. They tell me "Nope, there's no fees and we are now showing the package has been released from Customs and it's out for Delivery".

Someone, somewhere, is scamming people for extra cash. Not a single person would listen to me or was even remotely interested in seeing a copy of the email or wanting to know the employee name of the person asking for more money.

[Robert McGowen]

Unless this is something totally new, UPS has had dimensional rates forever. I ship large plywood boxes almost every day and some of the boxes are sized to fit specific dimensions so that UPS will ship them by weight and not by size.

[Bill George]

First I am mystified by why this was moved? I never go to this area of Sawmill Creek and this pertains directly to the Engraving forum and shipping. What harm would be done by leaving it as is?

Anyway, you don't need Stamps dot Com you can do that all on the USPS website and on the UPS website. Those of us who use PayPal can use that for shipping.

When you go to the franchise, the UPS Store they charge you over and above the standard UPS depot charge.

I have an account online, I do the weighing at home, pack at home and print the label, pay online and drop off at Staples. You can not have any Wood or plywood showing or they will add on an extra charge.

Fed Ex has delivered my packages on the other side of town and not have a clue its at the wrong place.

UPS has always been higher than anyone else. I try to use the USPS Flat rate service whenever I can.

[Rick Moyer]

Unless this is something totally new, UPS has had dimensional rates forever. I ship large plywood boxes almost every day and some of the boxes are sized to fit specific dimensions so that UPS will ship them by weight and not by size.
I know they used to have an oversize rate (I think it was 108" length + girth) but are they now changing rates for smaller sized packages?

[Brian Elfert]

I thought UPS already did this? I know if you have a package over a certain dimension and weight they won't take it even if it fits within their maximum dimensions and weight.

The corporate line about doing this to reduce over packing is a bunch of . It is to improve the UPS bottom line plain and simple. All of the shipping companies treat packages so poorly they have to have lots of packing material to survive the trip. If you buy insurance and UPS claims you didn't pack it well enough they just deny any damage claims. Of course, how is one to know if your packing meets their specs?

[Phil Thien]

When gas prices shot through the roof, UPS charged a fuel surcharge.

Well, where is my fuel rebate?

And they've been taking dimensions into account for a while now, but maybe they are going to charge even MORE dimensionally?

I have been using a lot of FedEx ground lately, very happy with the service and pricing.

[Lee DeRaud]

I cut out a small wood Christmas tree and a base to stand it in, It was one with slots in the center to slide it together , small like 10" tall 3mm thick and a 6 x 4x 1" base. I cut 2 pieces of cardboard and tape in the tree and base and taped the cardboard on top, the whole thing was like 11x6 x1.5 inches toop to PO $9.64 I said are you kidding me he said it weighed 1# 2 oz yep $9.64 i was sickHuh? That sounds like Priority Mail pricing. I had a 1.5lb 12x14x3 package (standard USPS box size) go out mid-December for $10.15, but that included insurance...got to Montana in two days. (Not to mention that the boxes are free.)

[Grant Wilkinson]

In Canada, UPS and Canada Post, too, have used dimensional pricing for years. The Canada Post practice was the subject of a very long law suit, in fact.

[Bert Kemp]

Nope not priority mail just standard and it took 7 days

Huh? That sounds like Priority Mail pricing. I had a 1.5lb 12x14x3 package (standard USPS box size) go out mid-December for $10.15, but that included insurance...got to Montana in two days. (Not to mention that the boxes are free.)

[Bert Kemp]

Thats the biggest problem they just say poor packing and you have no recourse its total -- they take no responsibility for their employees poor handling of packages. You pay extra to insure they keep your money and deny your claim what a scam.


I thought UPS already did this? I know if you have a package over a certain dimension and weight they won't take it even if it fits within their maximum dimensions and weight.

The corporate line about doing this to reduce over packing is a bunch of --. It is to improve the UPS bottom line plain and simple. All of the shipping companies treat packages so poorly they have to have lots of packing material to survive the trip. If you buy insurance and UPS claims you didn't pack it well enough they just deny any damage claims. Of course, how is one to know if your packing meets their specs?

[Sean Troy]

This may all end up being a good thing for some such as, more people buying locally instead of ordering online. Not good for those who still need to ship.

[Bert Kemp]

It got me to buy locally I needed a small box hasp and lock it was 9 bucks at rocklers but 4 dollars online, but $8 dollars to ship it to me, so I saved 3 bucks at rocklers.


This may all end up being a good thing for some such as, more people buying locally instead of ordering online. Not good for those who still need to ship.

[Brian Elfert]

When gas prices shot through the roof, UPS charged a fuel surcharge.


If you have noticed, diesel prices haven't come down much. Diesel is still over $3 in most areas. The fuel surcharge rate set by the government is based on something like $1.60 per gallon. Companies that use the government fuel surcharge will be adding a fuel surcharge for a long time to come.

[Pat Barry]

Thats the biggest problem they just say poor packing and you have no recourse its total -- they take no responsibility for their employees poor handling of packages. You pay extra to insure they keep your money and deny your claim what a scam.
Yes, for sure you need to take responsibility for the packaging. Lousy packaging is directly proportional to potential for damage. That isn't rocket science. With regards to cost, somebody has to pay, right? Costs are not going down and there is way more being shipped these days.

[Brian Elfert]

Yes, for sure you need to take responsibility for the packaging. Lousy packaging is directly proportional to potential for damage. That isn't rocket science. With regards to cost, somebody has to pay, right? Costs are not going down and there is way more being shipped these days.

The problem is that shipping companies always blame the customer's packaging when packages are damaged regardless if it was properly packaged or not. If their truck ran a wheel over it they would still blame the customer even though no packaging could survive that.

[Robert McGowen]

The problem is that shipping companies always blame the customer's packaging when packages are damaged regardless if it was properly packaged or not. If their truck ran a wheel over it they would still blame the customer even though no packaging could survive that.

When you say ALWAYS, it just shows that you are upset at UPS for some reason and not making statements of fact.

I have made 8-10 claims for damaged or completely lost shipments and have never had one denied for any reason.
On top of that, I have never had UPS even pick up the damaged property, which you would think that they would do since it does belong to them once they pay the claim. I don't mind them damaging anything at all, because I get two sales out of it instead of one since UPS pays for the damaged one and the customer pays for the replacement.

I ship daily with UPS, but other than that, I have no affiliation with them.

[Brian Elfert]

When you say ALWAYS, it just shows that you are upset at UPS for some reason and not making statements of fact.


You'll notice I didn't specifically mention UPS. I've never personally had to make a damage claim myself. I know plenty of folks who have had issues with trying to get damage claims paid by all of the shipping companies. I made a stolen item claim for $50 with the post office a few years back and I was able to make the claim online with uploaded photos and it was paid in under 10 days. (Someone had opened the padded envelope, removed the item, and put new tape on it.)

An employee of mine years ago had something shipped to our office and it was damaged. UPS probably spent more money to deny the claim than it would have cost to just pay it. They sent two or three guys in suits to look at the package and the item.

[Pat Barry]

Where I work, our products need to be packaged to meet ASTM standards for shipping including 4 and 8 foot drop, shock, random vibration, over the road simulation, etc. Granted, these are expensive products and we ship a lot of them. For other shipments we use best available method be it UPS, FedEX, other and our shipments go to Europe. I have never seen anything damaged except right in our own parking lot where the driver too off with the door open on his trailer and we ended up scrapping lots of product because that was above and beyond our tested conditions. A little bubble wrap goes a long way for most shipments.

[Phil Thien]

When you say ALWAYS, it just shows that you are upset at UPS for some reason and not making statements of fact.

I have made 8-10 claims for damaged or completely lost shipments and have never had one denied for any reason.
On top of that, I have never had UPS even pick up the damaged property, which you would think that they would do since it does belong to them once they pay the claim. I don't mind them damaging anything at all, because I get two sales out of it instead of one since UPS pays for the damaged one and the customer pays for the replacement.

I ship daily with UPS, but other than that, I have no affiliation with them.

Oh boy that hasn't been my experience at all. They've dragged feet on claims, they've (UPS) been a giant PITA. All of them have, but UPS has been no exception. And they've always taken whatever they're paying on.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

Paying at the local Post Office is more expensive then using USPS.com, but you do have several more shipping options available to you at the counter. (Such as Parcel Select Post.)

For years I was reluctant to use stamps.com but once I switched to them, I have saved so much time and money otherwise spent in lines at the automated machine or to speak to a teller, as well as saved quite a bit in postage fees. When you use stamps.com (or others like endicia.com) you can track even your First Class postage for free.

The negatives about using stamps.com is ordering supplies. If you order free USPS supplies thru Stamps.com, they will ship in 5-10 days. If you order free USPS supplies through USPS.com, they will ship in 1-2 days. Stamps.com will also force you to click thru about 4 pages of extra "stamps.com stuff" they would like you to purchase before you can submit the order. I have found the shipping labels to be quite expensive thru Stamps.com. They are MUCH cheaper at this site http://www.buyrightlabels.com/Products/BRL503 I have ordered supplies from them several times and I'm very pleased with their fast order processing and good customer service.

[Brian Elfert]

The one time I ordered Priority Mail boxes through usps.com it took at least three weeks for them to arrive. The USPS shipped them parcel post and it was about three weeks before Christmas so I shouldn't have been surprised it took longer. I figured it might take a few extra days, but not a few extra weeks. My friend I was shipping to happened to come into town unexpectedly while I waited for the boxes so I just handed him the items instead of shipping them.

Really, I have really good luck with all of the shipping companies both sending and receiving packages, but mostly receiving. I guess Fedex might be getting more of my shipping business due to the dimensional weight thing with UPS. The Post Office seems to be most competitive for smaller items or items that are really heavy that fit in a flat rate box.

[Dave Lehnert]

I had a job the last two years working in shipping and I always had to weigh and give measurements for UPS packages. Always told it was so they could plan trucking. Only so many packages can fit on a truck. Weight does not give them an idea of size. A 10 lb box of bricks would be much smaller than a 10 lb box of packing peanuts.

[Viking Mountain Tool Works]

Dont you figure shipping in as part of your price, or charge extra for it?

[Roy Harding]

Dont you figure shipping in as part of your price, or charge extra for it?

I actually use a combination of both. I sell online for slightly more than I sell local, and my shipping charges are slightly less than what I actually pay - it all works out.